Key type can opener



Filed May 20, 1954 MORRIS N.

KNUTSE N INVENTOR.

United States Patent My inventionrelates to can openers and more particularly to a key, type can opener. Briefly, the opener i winds a band in a coil in removing the band from a can, and includes a body member supporting a key and guiding the windingof the band onthe key. Provision is .made for ejecting the coiledv bandfrom the key after the can is opened.

One common type of can has a top secured to the lower portion of the can by an annular band and the top forms a removable lid when the band is removed. These cans are usually packaged with asimple key removably secured to the can for winding offthe band from the can. This is a crudewins trurnent and at best is difficult to operate; and housewives frequently are. unable to satisfactorily operate the keyand the opening is completed with a cutting type can opener which spoils the lid. The principal trouble in operating the simple key is that the .coil will slip to the; side in winding to the point that it will no longer serve as abase. for, further winding. Also -the key is small and thehousewife has insufiicient, me-

chancial advantage for convenient operation. It is un- .fortunate that this trouble occurs with these bands because otherwise the can is an ideal containerformany types of food; and his believed. that the band-type can will become more popular and.morewidely .used if a permanent can opener is provided which can be operated moreetficiently.

The objects of my inventiondnclude, therefore: to devise an improved permanent type key. can. openenfor winding a band in a coil. in,. removing the bandfrom a can; to devise akey type opener which accommocl ates various widths of,bands,;and inwhich, in eachcase, the

coil if guided in the winding of the band. on thestem by H walls abutting the edges ofthe. coil;,and to devise such a can opener which is of. economical construction and eflicient and easy operation andwhich willrequire a minimum 1= of dexterity I in use.

My invention will. be best ,understood, together with additional objectives and advantagesnthereof,,from the i following description, read withareference tothe drawings, in which:

, Figure 1 isan elevational-view :of a specific embodiment of my canopener shown in use,.on a c a n,,,certain parts :being shownlin section andin fragmentary, form;

r Figure 2 is a perspective view of the canopenerwith .thekey stemin its normaluoperatingposition;

. Figure 3 is aveiw in,t he-same sense as.Figure 2 but with the key stem withdrawnjas in ejecting a coil from the stem; and

a Figure 4 is a modified, simpler formofthe device shown. in elevational view and with dotted lines showing the key in withdrawn position.

a The can Cshown in Figure 1; is typical of a container with which my can opener is used and includes a metal J band B.securing a lid L,on the can and, removable by winding. on a key. After. the band hasbeen removed, ,lid L forms alremovablecover for can C. ;This type of can is particularly convenient where his desiredto use only part of the contents of a can at a time and to store the remainder in the container until used, as, torexample, coffee and shorteningcans.

The can opener shown in Figurm 1, 2, and 3jhas three principal components, a body member 10, a traveleri12, and a key 14. The construction is adapted forecouornical manufacture and body member 10 and traveler 12 are each formed from a single strip ,of material. Body member 10 is bent to form first and .second walls 20, 22 connected by a connectingwall 24. Second ,wall

22 has paired parallel wing extensions 26, 28 ,b ent1in wardly toward first wall 20 forming guides. In the area between paired guides 26, 28, is an opening 30 in connecting wall 24 through which part of the coil may extend in winding a band on key 14. B'ody member .10 has a pairof corner walls 32, 34, formed by bending portions of the same strip; and knife edges as 36 andSS may be formed on corner walls 32, 34,.respectively to be used to wedge the end of a band from the can into posit'ion to be secured in key 14. I

.Key 14 has a stem .40, a handle 42 secured in a slot in one end of the stem by pins 44, and an endward ly open slot 46. in its other end in which the end .of a band maybepositioned. An enlarged outer end forms an annular abutment 48 limiting inwardmoveme'ntof stem 40. v

Traveler 12 is formed of a single strip of material. bent to form a pair of parallel walls 50, 52 and a connecting wall 54, part of which is cut away on a U-shapedf line and folded against wall 52 forming a reinforcing igvall 56. vTraveler wall 52 is opposed to second body wall 22 .and has a pair of openings in its endsfin which. are

positioned .guides 26 and-.28 whereby wall SZjs'QsIidabIe toward and away fromsecond b dy wall 22.

First and second body walls 20, 22 and walls 50, 52,

56 of traveler 12 have aligned, central openings in which stem of key 14 is journaled. It will behoted that axial opening 60 in second body wall, 22,supports the openly slotted endof stem,40 in the normal position in 40 Figure 2 but the stem is withdrawn from this g i n the position of Figure 3. v

A pair of coiled c'ompression. s i 64,vl arejppsi I tioned on stem 40 with spring 62 acting betweenifirst body wall 20 and wall of traveler -12 andspring:64

acting between a collar 66,.se c uredon stem 40and traveler wall 50. Spring 62 is weaker than springl64. 11n withdrawal of the stem by means of handle 42, ,thefirstla ction is to compress the, weaker spring 62 which withdraws traveler wall 52 to approximately the position. shown, in Figure 3. Further retraction of steml40 compresses .the stronger spring, 64, v which withdrawsihe slotted end I of stem40 from the space between the walls 22 andf52,

as shown in Figure 3, and this willexpel a coil from; the

. stern and permit its removal after the .winding operati on is concluded.

It will be noted that guides 26 and 28haveabutments as at and 72, limiting how close wall52 can approach second wall 22, which are designed to approximate a minimum width of bands used on cans; andthe naximum withdrawal of wall 52 in Figure 3 is slightlygreater than the width of the maximum size band. Bythese means the opener will accommodate afull rangeof widths .of bands and yet opposed walls 52, 22 .will. in eachcase. guide the band in winding by abutting the edges of the .coil.

In Figure 4 is shown a simplified foirnjin whichbody member is bent to form first, second and third parallel walls 82, 84, 86 and connecting wallsSS, 81 whichiforrn a simple S-outline when viewed from the side. Wall -The Figure 3 isdesigned to be used withbpe'niiigm abutting the wall of the can; whereas in the structure of Figure l, the corresponding opening 30 is on the opposite side in the preferred manner of use.

The key is similar to the Figure 1 construction and has a stem 94, a handle 96 on one end and an endwardly open slotted second end 98, the stem bearing a collar 1%. A compression spring 102 acts between end wall 82 and collar 100. Slotted end 98 of stem 94 is limited in movement into the space between opposed walls 84, 86, by abutment of collar 100 against wall 84 which is reinforced at this point by a second wall 104 formed by material bent thereagainst obtained in forming opening ran in connecting wall 85. The walls 104, 84 and 82 have aligned central openings in which the stem 94 is slidably mounted.

This type of opener accommodates a limited range of widths of key bands; and, when bands within these limits are used, parallel opposed walls 84, 86, guide the band in winding by abutting the edge of the coil and the edges of opening 92 serve a like purpose. Upward movement of handle 96 as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4 will withdraw slotted end 98 from the space between walls 84, 86 for ejecting a coil from the key. The can opener has sharpened corner 110 for wedging the end of the band from a can, the free edge of the band being usually tightly pressed against the walls of the can.

It will be observed that the objects of the invention have been met, including such features as having the key stem well-supported by a body member and having winding of the band on the key guided by opposed walls. Ejection of the band after it has been coiled is a simple matter. In each form of the invention, the structure is characterized by simplicity and economy of manufacture.

I have described my invention with a detailed description of structure; but I wish to be understood as not limiting myself to the exact details of construction and wish to cover those modications thereof which will occur to those skilled in the art and lie within the scope of my invention, as described in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A key type can opener for winding a band in a coil in removing the band from a can, comprising: a body member including first and second parallel, spacedapart end walls, paired, parallel, spaced apart guides extending inwardly at right angles from said second wall and directed toward the first wall and a traveler mounted on said guides having a wall facing, spaced from and parallel to said second wall, said first wall and said traveler wall having aligned central openings and a key having a stem journaled in said aligned openings and slidable from a first position having a first end positioned in the space between said second wall and said traveler wall to a second position in which said first end is withdrawn from said space and handle means on the second end of said stern that may be manually grasped to withdraw said stem to said second position, said first end of said stem having an endwardly open slot to receive the end of such band for winding of the band in a coil on said stern upon rotation of the stem by said handle means, and spring means between said body and said key and traveler biasing said stem to said first position and said traveler being slidable on said guides toward and away from said second wall from a first position in which the traveler wall is spaced from said second wall the minimum width of such bands to a second position spaced therefrom the maximum width of such bands and said spring means biasing said traveler normally to said first position thereof whereby said traveler wall and said second wall provide means for guiding such coil in the winding of the band on said stem by abutting the edges of the coil, and manually operable means to move said traveler away from said second wall.

2. A key type can opener for winding a band in a coil in removing the band from a can, comprising; a body including first and second parallel, spaced apart end walls, a traveler mounted on said body intermediate said end walls and having a pair of parallel traveler Walls parallel to said end walls, said first end wall and said traveler walls having aligned central openings therein and a key having a stem positioned in said openings and slidable therein from a first position having a first end positioned adjacent said second end wall to a position having said first end withdrawn from said second end wall and said key having a handle on its other end, said traveler being slidable on said body to move toward and away from said second end wall, said key having a fixed collar on said stem between said traveler walls, and first and second coiled compression springs positioned on said stem with said first spring positioned between and bearing on said first end wall and the adjacent traveler wall and with the second spring positioned between and bearing on said adjacent traveler wall and said collar, and said second spring being stronger than said first spring whereby 1n withdrawal of said stem away from said second wall by force applied on said handle said traveler first moves away from said second end wall with said stem during compression of said first spring and then said stern withdraws relative to said traveler during compression of said second spring, said first end of said stem having an endwardly open slot to receive the end of such band for winding of the band in a coil on said stern upon rotation by said handle and said second end wall and the adjacent traveler wall providing means guiding such coil in the winding of the band on the stern by abutting the edges of the coll.

3. The subject matter of claim 2 in which said second end wall has a bearing opening aligned with said allgned central openings and the adjacent extreme end port on of said stem being positioned in the bearing opening when said stem is in said first position. i

4. A key type can opener for winding a band in a coil in removing the band from a can, comprising: a body formed of a single strip of material having its ends bent to form first and second parallel end walls, a traveler positioned on said body formed of a single strip of material having its ends bent to form a pair of walls parallel to an intermediate of said first and second body walls, said traveler walls and said first end wall having aligned bearing means and a key having a stern supported in said bearing means and slidable from a first position having a first end positioned adjacent said second end wall to a second position in which said first end is withdrawn from said second end wall and said first end of said stem having an endwardly open slot to receive the end of such band for winding of the band in a coil of said stern, said traveler being slidable on said body toward and away from said second end wall and spring means biasing said traveler toward said second end wall and biasing said stem to said first position and manually operable means to move said stem and traveler away from said second wall and for rotating said stem, and said second end wall and the adjacent traveler wall providing means guiding such coil in the Winding of the band on the stem by abutting the edges of the coil.

5. A device of the class and for the purpose described comprising a pair of opposed parallel jaws adapted to be moved toward or away from each other, means connecting said jaws at least at one end for said movement toward or away from each other, limit stop means limiting the movement of the jaws toward each other to a position at which the jaws are spaced apart at a relatively short distance, resilient means normally urging the jaws into said limit stop position, said jaws having aligned openings therein receiving a slotted can opening key with the slot positioned between said jaws.

6. A can opener comprising a pair of U-shaped guide members having upper and lower arms arranged in overlapping relation, aligned openings in the arms, limit stop means limiting movement of the lower arms toward each other, a slotted key rotatably and slidably positioned in said openings, a recess between the lower arms in which a tear strip is adapted to be received for winding on the key, and spring means on the key normally urging said lower arms into said limit stop position.

7. A key type can opener for winding a band in a coil in removing the band from a can, comprising: a body member including a pair of parallel opposed walls and a key having a stem journaled in said body and disposed normal to said opposed walls and slidable from a first position having a vfirst end position in the space between said opposed walls to a second position in which said first end is withdrawn from said space and spring means between said body member and said key biasing said stem to said first position and handle means on the second end of said stem which may be manually grasped to withdraw said stem to said second position, said first end of said stem having an endwardly open slot to receive the end of such band for Winding of such band in a coil on said stem upon rotation of the stem by said handle means, said opposed walls being spaced apart a distance 6 accommodating the width of such band therebetween and guiding such coil in the winding of the band on said stem by abutting the edges of the coil, a first of said opposed walls being slidably mounted on said body member to move toward and away from the second wall from a first position spaced therefrom the minimum width of such bands to a second position spaced therefrom the maximum width of such bands and spring means biasing said first wall normally to said first position and manually operable means to move said first wall away from said second wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,646,719 Young Oct. 25, 1927 2,370,081 Sebell Feb. 20, 1945 2,649,990 Lyle Aug. 25, 1953 2,693,897 Johnson et al. Nov. 9, 1954 

